THEFUTURERAILWAY | THE INDUSTRY’S RAIL TECHNICAL STRATEGY 2012
ENERGY
25
Away from the mainline, there could be
additional lower-spec energy options alongside
AC electrification, including battery-power
Less intensive operation
could mean alternative
signalling solutions
Using lightweight trains with
alternative specifications for
track and train
THEFUTURERAILWAY | THE INDUSTRY’S RAIL TECHNICAL STRATEGY 2012
VISION
A low carbon, energy-efficient railway
OBJECTIVES
Reduced reliance on fossil fuels
Reduced reliance on non-renewable materials
Energy-efficient operations, rolling stock and infrastructure
STRATEGY
More 25kV electrification
Develop energy-efficient specifications for railway assets
Leverage intelligent traffic management to optimise energy use
Adopt smart grid technologies
Maximise the use of low carbon materials
ENABLERS
Robust, lower cost electrification
Improved electrification protection and control
Energy-efficient systems
Technology brokerage
Improved sensors and monitoring systems
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ENERGY
CONTEXT
2.20 Rail is an energy-intensive industry. Between 80 and 90% of the energy
that rail uses – over 3 TWh of electricity – and more than 680 million
litres of diesel are used for traction purposes5 at a cost of over £600m.
The remaining 10-20% of energy consumption is for stations, depots,
control centres and for signalling, communications and other rail
systems.
2.21 Large amounts of energy are also required to maintain, renew and
enhance the railway. This includes the production, transportation and
installation of materials and products such as concrete and steel and
processes such as tamping and rail grinding.
2.22 More energy will be used in absolute terms in the future to
accommodate passenger and freight growth and new high-speed rail
services. The industry’s main focus should be to operate in an energyefficient way and to encourage a shift away from less efficient and more
carbon-intensive modes.
2.23 Progress in the railway’s approach to energy since 2007 includes:
• Government electrification programme including the Great Western
Main Line, the Trans-Pennine route between Manchester and Leeds
and the Midland Main Line
• Enabling regenerative braking on both alternating and direct current
rolling stock
• Successful trials of DAS
5
ORR National Rail Trends 2010 –11 Yearbook, Table 9.1a
• Fitment of energy meters to several electric rolling stock fleets
• Energy efficiency targets in new rolling stock specifications
• Diesel rolling stock modifications including the fitment of more
efficient engines and control systems that switch off one or more
engines on diesel multiple units (DMUs) according to power demand
• Widespread use of eco-driver training
• Installation of renewable energy technologies at some network sites
• Energy efficiency improvements at depots and stations, for example,
Accrington Eco-station
• Successful trials with fuel containing up to 20% biodiesel on existing
diesel rolling stock
• Research on innovative electrification, DC to AC conversion and
reducing electrical losses
VISION
2.24 The railway has expanded in an energy-efficient way, reducing unit
costs to attract passengers and freight from other modes. The vast
majority of journeys are on electrified routes. Low carbon and recycled
materials are used where safety, reliability and practicality allow.
OBJECTIVES
2.25 Rail relies less on conventional fossil fuels which will become
increasingly scarce, expensive and environmentally unsustainable.
THEFUTURERAILWAY | THE INDUSTRY’S RAIL TECHNICAL STRATEGY 2012
2.26 Materials from renewable sources and/or with low-embedded carbon
are used for building, maintaining and renewing rolling stock and
infrastructure.
2.27 New and refurbished rolling stock and infrastructure are designed,
built and maintained to deliver high levels of energy efficiency. Energyefficient operations include avoiding unnecessary stopping, starting
and empty running of trains and keeping load factors up.
2.28 Accurate and timely information shows how energy is being used
across the industry. This can be used for procurement strategies,
as support for operational measures to improve energy efficiency
and to help the infrastructure manager get more out of electrification
infrastructure.
STRATEGY
2.29 Further electrification would reduce the direct use of fossil fuels and
provide a secure supply of energy that will become less carbonintensive as the power generation sector decarbonises. Electric trains
are cheaper than diesel to buy, operate and maintain and are more
efficient, quieter, cleaner and comfortable. Electric freight locomotives
have a higher power to weight ratio than their diesel equivalents. They
can haul longer loads and/or travel faster and regenerate energy when
braking. Research6 estimated a potential reduction of 56% in the
carbon footprint of the railway by 2050. This is based on current and
6
7
proposed initiatives and takes into account the decarbonisation of the
grid.
2.30 The 750V direct current (DC) third-rail network is limited in the amount
of power it can provide efficiently for train services. It could be replaced
progressively with the more resilient 25kV alternating current (AC)
overhead system for better energy efficiency. Research7 estimated the
net benefit of converting the current DC network to 25kV AC overhead
line equipment (OLE) to be £2bn. This includes conversion costs and
benefits accrued over 60 years, but not potential capacity or linespeed
benefits, which would further strengthen the case for conversion.
2.31 Train specifications should drive improvements in energy efficiency
and weight reductions. Installed power should be appropriate to the
type of operation with the ability to recover as much braking energy
as practicable, whether by regenerative braking or onboard energy
storage. Train performance should adapt by location to optimise
energy efficiency with, for example, higher accelerations on intensivelyused routes. For lightly-used parts of the network that are unlikely
to be electrified in the near future, trains should be self-powered, for
example:
• Life-extended DMUs with more energy-efficient engines or
transmission systems
• Lighter and more efficient new diesel trains
• Hybrid DMUs with additional onboard energy storage to capture
kinetic energy while braking
RSSB T913 Whole life carbon footprint of the rail industry, September 2010
RSSB T950 Investigating the economics of the third-rail DC system compared to other electrification systems, August 2011
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THEMES - ENERGY
• Bi-mode trains which use electrical infrastructure where available
and run on diesel elsewhere
• If the technology develops sufficiently to be cost-effective, larger
scale energy storage on electric trains to provide them with the
ability to run on non-electrified routes
• In the longer term, conventional fossil-based diesel may be replaced
by more sustainable alternatives such as biofuels or hydrogen
2.32 Existing electric rolling stock with significant residual life could be
made more energy-efficient during refurbishment by upgrading traction
equipment and providing regenerative braking capability. Diesel trains
with similar life-spans could be fitted with more efficient engines,
transmissions and possibly energy recovery and storage systems.
Recent DfT research8 suggested, for example, that fitting more efficient
transmission systems and better turbo-chargers to older DMUs could
deliver fuel savings of up to 13% and 3% respectively.
2.33 Onboard heating, lighting and ventilation systems should be energy-
efficient and adjust to ambient conditions and passenger loads. Better
system specifications could reduce mass and energy consumption and
improve reliability.
2.34 Pantograph cameras and/or monitoring systems should be fitted to an
increasing number of trains. These will provide valuable evidence of
failure modes and equip the industry with the knowledge to develop
more resilient designs. Pattern recognition technologies will help to
automate the inspection process.
8
GB Rail Powertrain Efficiency Improvements, TRL & Ricardo, March 2012
2.35 Infrastructure layouts could be designed to minimise energy
consumption, for example by enabling trains to maintain optimum
speed at junctions and avoid unnecessary stops. Careful location of
depots, refuelling and stabling points could also help to reduce empty
running. Stations, depots, offices and other infrastructure assets should
be designed to maximise energy efficiency. High levels of insulation and
materials with low-embedded carbon, for example recycled and locally
sourced materials could be used. Efficient and intelligent heating/
cooling and lighting systems and renewable energy generation would
deliver further benefits.
2.36 Intelligent traffic management programmes such as FuTRO could
generate energy-efficient timetables for a better match between
passenger demand and train capacity. By optimising traffic flows in
real-time, such systems can also reduce conflicts between services,
minimising delays and improving energy efficiency. Extending the
concept to automatic control of train acceleration and speed could
deliver additional energy and reliability benefits.
2.37 Smart grid technologies could provide improved real-time information
on rail energy consumption and generation, for example from
regenerative braking or renewable energy sources, as well as on
the performance and spare capacity of electrification assets such
as transformers. This information could inform energy management
strategies and the replacement or upgrade of electrification assets.
THEFUTURERAILWAY | THE INDUSTRY’S RAIL TECHNICAL STRATEGY 2012
2.38 Energy generation and storage techniques could reduce energy costs.
For example, parts of the rail estate could be suitable for wind turbines
or photovoltaic arrays which would provide commercially attractive
rates of return, especially if the electrification infrastructure allowed
these locations to be connected economically to the electricity grid.
Similarly, hydrogen fuel cells are a cost-effective solution for remote
power for maintenance activities or emergency back-up.
ENABLERS
2.39 Reducing electrification costs, for example through standard designs
of common building blocks, new technologies, economies of scale
and a rolling programme of work would improve the case for further
electrification. Tailoring the design of new electrification so that it is
not over-specified for a particular route may also offer opportunities to
reduce costs.
2.40 Where an existing route is being electrified, building techniques are
needed to allow rapid OLE installation, with minimum disruption to
the working railway. The electrification system design could support
improved energy efficiency, for example through the choice of
transformers, power electronics, monitoring systems and conductor
wire.
2.41 Longer, higher speed commuter and intercity services on conventional
lines require electrification for trains running at up to 140mph, with
multiple pantographs at a range of spacings from ~85 to 200m. This
may require lightweight, possibly active pantographs or alternatively,
high voltage auto-couplers.
2.42 Rationalised electrification system design offers considerable
savings in distribution equipment costs and provides a sub-station
infrastructure compatible with smart grid technology for future
benefits. Using industry standard IEC61850 Ethernet protocol to
communicate between circuit breakers and sub-stations allows offsite
pre-commissioning and reduces access requirements to deploy new
equipment.
2.43 Initiatives in the section Innovation could identify technologies being
deployed in other sectors that may be adaptable for railway use, for
example:
• Energy storage technologies and appropriate control systems
suitable for on-train or lineside applications that deliver robust, costeffective energy storage
• Biofuel technology, when sustainable and cost-effective, for existing
diesel rolling stock
• Technologies such as energy storage and hydrogen fuel cells as
alternatives to conventional diesel traction
• Low carbon, lightweight materials, innovative building and
construction techniques, lighting/heating technologies and
renewable energy generation could be applied to both rolling stock
and infrastructure applications such as stations and depots
2.44 Low-cost sensors and monitoring systems for rolling stock and
infrastructure are required to help the railway manage its energy
consumption more effectively. These must be easy to install, require
minimum maintenance and deliver robust data streams using standard
communication protocols. Harvested ambient energy, for example,
heat, light or vibration could power these devices and avoid the need
for batteries or additional power supplies.
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THEMES - ENERGY
PRE 2010
RTS
ENERGY
2011 - 2020
2021 - 2030
2031 - 2040
VISION
CP 4
CP 5
CP 6
Electrification
25kV
CP 7
CP 8
CP 9
Rolling programme of electrification
Develop and implement methods to reduce electrification costs
MORE 25kV
ELECTRIFICATION
Develop and trial discontinuos/low cost electrification systems
Implement discontinuous/low cost electrification where strong business case exists
Electrification
DC
Examine business case for DC to AC Conversion
Systems
Convert parts of DC network where there is a strong business case
Provide direction for new rail infrastructure specifications
Introduce improved electrification protection and control systems
Rolling
Stock
V/TE SIC programme of work to investigate energy reduction opportunities - passenger trains, freight trains and operations
Research into lightweight, energy efficient rolling stock design
Specify and procure more energy efficient rolling stock
DEVELOP ENERGY
EFFICIENT
SPECIFICATIONS FOR
RAILWAY ASSETS
Introduce onboard HOTEL systems that adjust to passenger numbers
Energy efficient refurbishment of existing diesel and electric rolling stock
Technology watch: monitor cross sector developments in powertrain, energy storage and fuel
technologies and implement in rolling stock when cost-effective
Infrastructure
Embed whole system energy efficiency in development of new infrastructure
A low carbon,
energy efficient
railway
Infrastructure layouts to a minimise energy consumption
Sustainability
LEVERAGE INTELLIGENT TRAFFIC
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS TO
OPTIMISE ENERGY USE
Traffic
Management
Embed rail industry’s sustainability principles in industry decision making processes
Implement intelligent traffic management system
DAS Prototypes trialled
Develop and implement new approaches to time-tabling to reflect energy costs
Continue to roll out driver advisory systems supporting ‘eco-driving’
Eco driving used
Measurement
Operations optimised for energy efficiency, including time-tabling and eco-driving.
Implement energy management strategies to balance supply and demand
Improve monitoring of electrification infrastructure
Energy metering in service
Sensors
Continue to Roll out energy metering on trains
Install sensors on rolling stock and infrastructure to monitor
energy consumption and asset condition
ADAPT SMART GRID
TECHNOLOGIES
Implement range of metering and measurement technology
Install systems to monitor performance of pantograph and interface with overhead electrification
Storage and
Generation
Monitor development of energy storage technologies and implement in rail when cost-effective
Regenerative braking in-service
Monitor development of energy generation and harvesting technologies and implement in rail when cost-effective
Innovation
Support innovation on energy related issues (e.g. storage, generation, fuel, materials)
Industry Delivery Activity
Industry Development Activity
TSLG Completed activity
TSLG In progress
Intellige
TSLG Planned
Low
Carbon
Accrington Eco-station concept
Embed consideration of whole life carbon impacts in industry specifications and procurement processes
TSLG Potential
Improve understanding of whole life carbon impacts and identify scope for reduction
MAXIMISE THE USE OF
LOW CARBON MATERIALS
Develop and embed guidance for rail industry on incorporating whole life carbon issues into decision making
Bio-diesel in-service trials
Increase rail use of biofuels where cost effective and sustainable
All dates and durations should be
regarded as indicative